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State Report Cards on Teen Dating Violence

The 2009 report about the way that state civil domestic violence protection order laws address the needs of teen victims of domestic violence. This report comes out annually from Break the Cycle and this year there was some good news.

California got an "A" for making protection orders very accessible to youth - and the services are free. A youth who is being harassed or abused in any way can get an emergency protection order from the police (as young as 12 and without a parent) which is good for 5-7 days, then it has to be in court for a hearing for a full protection order, which can apply to family members.

Other states that received an "A" are Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire. States that receive an "A" are those that make it easier for victims to get a restraining order by including cyberstalking, harassing phone calls, emotional abuse and animal cruelty behavior; allows a minor to file for a protection or restraining order, and a youth can file for protection from another youth.

Some states improved, including Mississippi ("B"), Florida ("B"), Delaware ("C"), Wisconsin ("B"), Maryland ("C"), New York ("C"), and Iowa ("D"), while other states failed: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia.

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